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High School Basketball Recruiting: Hoops By Ugland Scouting Notebook

Ben Pfeifer Written by Sports EditorBen Pfeifer
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Image via Prep Hoops

The Hoops By Ugland Skills Summit in Tustin, California on August 24th featured dozens of the best high school players from the area and beyond. I was lucky enough to attend the event and catch the competitive scrimmages throughout the afternoon.

I watched several prospects with the chance to develop into future professional or high-major Division 1 college basketball players. I’ll break down the standout players from the event, sorting prospects by their high school class. Some notable prospects from the event won’t feature here as I didn’t have time to catch everyone, but I attempted to watch as many players as I could throughout the day.

Let’s begin with some basic event superlatives based on the hoops I watched:

Event Superlatives

Best Overall Player – Jaden Thomas

Best Underclass Player – Van Moczydlowsky

Highest Upside – Achilles Orji

Best Defender – Aiden Shaw

Toughest Shotmaker – Asher Haloossim

Best Athlete – Davey Harris

Most Versatile – Owen Saukkola

Two-Way Impact – Dominic Smith

Highest Feel – Myles Mittelsteadt

Shiftiest Player – Darius Dixson

On-Court Leader – Joshua Townsell

2026

Jaden Thomas | G | 6’0 | Washington Prep

As I glanced across the crowded gym filled with three simultaneous games, I saw Thomas — his colorful shorts made him hard to miss — thread the ball between the legs before sinking a step-back three. Later in the day, I watched a full game of Thomas’s up close (not three courts away). He was the most dominant player I saw on Sunday.

Thomas moves at a different speed than the rest of his peers, boasting high-end stop-start athleticism with the ball. He’s a strong player with great vertical bounce as well, snaring a few offensive rebounds before powering up for finishes. Whether it was scoring, rebounding or swiping down for steals, Thomas impacted every facet of the game.

His offense was most impressive; Thomas consistently carved up the opposing defense, burning defenders with his first step before swiping them away with his off arm. Thomas almost looked bored in the game despite dominating on offense and defense, indicative of his skill and athleticism compared to his peers.

Layden Kauka | G | 6’1 | Kohala

Kauka made the trip from the big island of Hawaii and made the most of his time on the mainland. The rising senior guard, who has played for Team Clint Parks Skills Academy on the Puma Circuit, looked exceptionally poised on the court. His demeanor remained calm and level throughout the games regardless of what happened on the court.

While Kauka didn’t play on the ball all that often when I watched, he routinely made the most of his chances. These event scrimmage settings often result in plenty of silly mistakes from young players who haven’t played together, but Kauka, consistently avoided mistakes on both ends, making his shots, finding open teammates and playing consistently sound defense.

Owen Saukkola | W | 6’6 | Newport Harbor

It felt like Saukkola constantly made splash plays any time I turned my head towards his court and that impact sustained when I sat down to watch him in full. Saukkola’s skill and size immediately pop, as he’s comfortable passing on the move, spacing the floor and driving into space.

Saukkola moved fluidly on the defensive end, showcasing his light feet and fluid hips while switching out onto the perimeter a few different times. College teams covet tall players who can pass, dribble and shoot and Saukkola fit that description with his play on Sunday.

Joshua Townsell | G | 5’10 | Ayala

Townsell was one of the more well-rounded guards I watched, but his excellent finishing in traffic, often jumping off of one foot with contact, stood out most. With the ball, Townsell consistently attacked the hoop and looked to score downhill. Without the ball, he remained active, looking to cut and slip into space to find easy points.

When Townsell went to the bench, I noticed him encouraging a younger teammate who had struggled in their prior stint, providing positive reinforcement while offering suggestions to improve (he pointed out the opposing team’s on-ball pressure and advised his teammate to look to pass more quickly to counter the pressure).

Christian Benjamin | W |6’8.5 | Roosevelt

Benjamin’s combination of physical tools and shotmaking were easy to spot. He’s a long, fluid wing with an incredibly smooth jumper, who canned plenty of catch-and-shoot triples alongside a pull-up jumper or two. Refining his ball control will allow Benjamin to more consistently unlock his impressive shooting talent.

Gavin Kroll | W/F | 6’6 | Cypress

Opposing offensive players had a difficult time shooting over Kroll, who racked up a few impressive blocks and rim contests. While he wasn’t consistently imprinting himself on the game like some of his peers, Kroll’s physical tools, defensive impact and 3-point shooting flashes still caught my eye.

2027

Davey Harris | W/F | 6’7 | Windward

After missing his last two seasons due to injury, Harris made the most of his opportunities on the court on Sunday. He played like one of the highest upside prospects at the event, overwhelming defenders with his size and athleticism. Powerful, long strides and a solid handle allowed Harris to consistently touch the paint to score and pass.

He flashed impressive live-dribble vision with the ball, reading help defenders to pass inside for layup attempts. His fluidity, speed and size let Harris dominate on the offensive end in his game I watched, showcasing his impressive next-level potential.

Myles Mittelsteadt | F | 6’7 | Laguna Hills

Mittelsteadt was one of the best passers I watched regardless of position. His processing speed was the first trait to pop, as the ball rarely stuck in his hands. Mittelsteadt did much of his damage from the top of the key as a pseudo offensive hub, spraying passes to open shooters and finding a few cutters for layups.

He scored efficiently as a complementary big, rolling to the hoop and spacing the floor. While Mittelsteadt isn’t an exceptional athlete, his feel for the game far exceeded most of his peers, which also allowed him to rotate down and make contests and stops at the rim on defense.

Dominic Smith | G/W | 6’3 | Bishop Amat

Smith is a strong, bruising guard who doesn’t need the ball in his hands to impact the offensive end. He’s an excellent offensive rebounder and power finisher, though he flashed some passing and shooting prowess when he had opportunities. And Smith converted one of my personal favorite assists of the day, finding his teammate on a snappy interior pass for a layup:

He consistently made life tough for his opponents on defense; Smith’s built lower body, lateral quickness and activity allow him to easily mirror opposing guards and force difficult shots. Smith was one of the better two-way players among his class and the entire event.

Asher Haloossim | G | 6’0 | Windward

There were multiple stretches throughout the event where Haloossim couldn’t miss a shot, shooting white hot from all over the floor. He’s an impressive tough shotmaker with the ball control and compact mechanics to find his spots and rise up for off-dribble jumpers.

Beyond his impressive shooting, Haloossim fearlessly attacked the basket to draw fouls and score at the rim. When help stepped up. Haloossim showcased the vision to punish rotations with some basic manipulation sprinkled in. His communication on defense was also evident, rounding out one of the most impressive performances I saw.

Joey Albala | G | 5’7 | Redondo Union

As one of the shorter players in his class across the event, Albala relied on his exceptional quickness, core strength and skill to impact winning. Very few defenders could challenge his speed, ball control and strength; Albala loved to burst downhill and probe in the paint before a shot opens up for him or one of his teammates.

Albala was just as conspicuous on defense, where he guarded opposing players out to full court and generated turnovers with his quick hands and lateral movement. He’s on the shortlist for the most consistent players I watched throughout the event.

Dylan McGhee | F | 6’8 | Roosevelt

When McGhee applied his impressive physical and athletic tools, he played like one of the better prospects at the event. His arms seemingly extend forever and he unleashed that length and his incredibly quick vertical leaping to alter shots at the hoop and score at the basket.

On the offensive end, McGhee mostly settled for difficult off-dribble jumpers, taking contested pull-up and fadeaway shots which often didn’t find the bottom of the net. Improved shot selection and decision making will make McGhee a difficult scorer and play-finisher to slow on offense.

Bruce Gapultos | G | 5’10 | Roosevelt

Gapultos played big on both ends of the floor throughout the afternoon, lulling defenders to sleep before finding his spots with a refined handle and impressive physicality. Despite lacking size compared to some other players, his footwork mixups and change of speed allowed Gapultos to shake defenders and locate teammates for easy shots.

On defense, Gapultos routinely picked up opposing guards out beyond half-court, showcasing the drive and athleticism coaches covet. He was one of the all-around standouts of the day, consistently making winning plays for his teams.

Carson Butler | F | 6’8 | Roosevelt

I only caught a bit of Butler, but his frame and live-dribble acumen popped out. He’s a smooth off-dribble shotmaker with enough ball control to rise over defenders into his shot. Butler’s defensive impact waxed and waned in the minutes I saw, though he spent much of his time guarding smaller, quicker players, but he contested plenty of shots around the hoop.

Sama’jay Jackson | W | 6’3 | Long Beach Jordan

Jackson, a dual-sport quarterback, looked the part of a dominant player on the gridiron, dominating his peers with a chiseled frame, people-moving power and incredible vertical explosion, especially off one foot. His looser handle and score-first mentality led to some turnovers and missed shots, but his physical talent shined, especially in transition.

2028

Aiden Shaw | G | 6’1 | Bishop Amat

Shaw was the most impactful defensive player of the event, constantly creating chaos with his elite athleticism, flexibility and 6’6 wingspan (per Shaw’s parents). No single moment exemplifies that better than this game-winning sequence in overtime, where Shaw cut off one driver, ripped another on a spin move and finished an and-one in transition for the win:

He’s an obviously unique athlete with rare speed, strength and elasticity for his age. Shaw’s flexibility allows him to lower his stance and change directions on defense, but it makes an arguably larger impact on offense. Where Shaw easily burned defenders off the dribble.

An excellent first step and change of direction made Shaw a handful to slow off the dribble. His decisions weren’t always consistent, but Shaw’s ability to pressure the hoop and spray out to shooters makes him a valuable slashing prospect. Shaw was one of the very best players I watched with a strong case as the highest-upside player at the event.

Achilles Orji | W | 6’6| Etiwanda

Orji’s flashes throughout the event suggested immense two-way upside. His defensive energy, motor and physical tools made him a handful to score on. While Orji’s intensity and aggressions sometimes led him to bite on fakes, he mostly thrived on defense, guarding the ball with light feet and flying in for some enormous rotations at the cup.

Despite his age and physical tools, Orji flashed considerable skill with the ball, rising up for smooth off-dribble jumpers. There’s clear room to improve as a decision maker with the ball, but Orji made a few impressive off-ball, connective passes. Alongside Shaw (and another name or two in this section), Orji sports the highest pro potential of anyone I watched.

Van Moczydlowsky | G/W | 6’3 | Crossroads

Moczydlowsky calmly dominated older opponents all day, generating the bulk of his value on offense. The rising sophomore sports the explosive twitch and powerful athleticism to drive past and through defenders. When defenders sold out to slow his drives, Moczydlowsky rose up for catch and dribble jumpers, converting one impressive pull-up where he spun and decelerated to create space and shoot.

His athleticism helped him impact the game on defense, as most of his opponents simply lacked the twitch and speed to shake Moczydlowsky. Downhill athleticism and shooting are two foundational traits for him to build off as he matures and refines his dribbling counters and playmaking with the basketball.

Cameron Anderson | G | 6’4 | Roosevelt

Anderson’s size and athleticism let him rack up tons of steals, often snagging balls out of the air before offenses could set up in the half court. His instincts, speed and range let Anderson cover tons of ground and generate turnovers and transition chances for his team.

The point guard showcased his robust pacing and poise with the ball, rarely allowing pressuring defenders to speed him up. Anderson’s strength, ball control and intermediate scoring touch made him one of the most impactful two-way players at the event.

Darius Dixson | G | 5’10 | Roosevelt

Dixson’s dribbling and sharp change of speed were his most impressive traits suggesting impressive off-dribble creation upside for the rising sophomore. He beat defenders off of the dribble with his handle, creating tons of horizontal space to attack downhill. A tight, creative handle and explosive ground coverage allowed Dixson to consistently pressure the rim on offense and his tendency to play off two feet resulted in sturdy balance and finishing in traffic.

2029

Matty Hewett | G | 5’5 | Crespi

Hewett held his own throughout the scrimmages despite standing shorter than almost everyone else on the court. The incoming freshman guard held off defenders with his body, dribbling to his spots on drives to score and find teammates. His ball skills and physicality are both foundational traits for Hewett to build off.

Cameron Smart | G | 5’8 | Palm Springs

Smart made a few high-level plays against older opponents, none more impressive than a snappy crossover leading to an interior pass for a layup. Even without many touches, Smart’s motor on both ends, especially running the floor in transition, stood out.

Ben Pfeifer Written by Sports EditorBen Pfeifer
Ben Pfeifer graduated from the University of Missouri with degrees in Psychology and Journalism. He has worked in basketball scouting covering the NBA and the draft for over a half-decade, working for various outlets. Now, he covers the NBA, the draft and high school basketball.
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